No COVID-19 vaccine, no normal life, suggests UK minister

People who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine might find normal life cut short, as restaurants, bars, cinemas and sports venues could block entry to those who lack proof that they have been vaccinated, the new British vaccine minister said on Monday.

Several major COVID-19 vaccines have been announced in recent weeks, raising hopes that the world may soon return to some semblance of normalcy after the coronavirus killed 1.46 million people and wiped out part of the global economy.

British Minister responsible for vaccine deployment Nadhim Zahawi said vaccination should be voluntary, but Google, Facebook and Twitter should do more to verify opposing views on vaccines.

Asked by the BBC if there would be an immunity passport, Zahawi said that a person’s COVID-19 vaccine status could be included in a phone app that would notify local doctors of a person’s status.

“But I also think that you will probably find that restaurants, bars, cinemas and other places, sports venues, will probably also use this system as they did with the app,” Zahawi told the BBC.

“The kind of pressure will come both ways: from service providers – who will say ‘look, show us you’ve been vaccinated’ – but we will also make the technology as easy and accessible as possible.”

Health authorities in many countries have become increasingly concerned in recent years about the growth of anti-vaccine groups, particularly active on social media.

When asked if it would become next to impossible to do anything without the vaccine, Zahawi said, “I think people have to make a decision, but I think you will probably find that many service providers will want to engage in this area as they did with the app. “

Zahawi declined to give a specific date on a vaccine deployment because none have yet been approved for public use.

The message, he said, should be that a vaccine is good for the community and the country.